On Friday, February 21, the Data Privacy Group (DPG) held its 6th Annual Data Privacy Symposium, hosting speakers and panelists from national firms and corporate groups. The theme of the event, “Privacy at the Crossroads: Adapting to an Uncertain Future,” explored the acceleration of new state regulation for personal data and the increasing speed at which generative AI is being adopted today.
The symposium is a student-led initiative which brings together the Portland data privacy community and discusses the expanding landscape of data privacy. The students of DPG orchestrated the Data Privacy Symposium by acquiring sponsorships for the event with Miller Nash and coordinating a full day of thought-provoking presentations by the top legal minds in their field.
“This was a really impressive effort by our law students,” said Professor Ebrahim. “Creating this symposium on top of a full class load is remarkable. Attendees received valuable information from some of our top attorneys working in data privacy.”
Dan Nichols from Juris Law delivered the keynote, “A Lawyer’s Duty of Data Privacy,” describing an attorney’s responsibilities from providing adequate disclosures to responding to corporate data breaches.
Additional speakers who participated included
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Brittani Gambrell from Schwabe and Olivia Holder from Bracker & Holder, presented “Privacy Statements 101”
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Intel’s general counsel, Hannah Pageler, and Zoom’s data software engineer, Kasey Hemphill, & Ken Westin offered insights on a panel on the responsibility of ensuring privacy for clients.
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Rachel Gale from Stoel Rives spoke on avoiding discrimination through the use of AI.
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Nathan Morales from Stoel Rives spoke on developments in national cybersecurity litigation.
The symposium wrapped up with a panel on the value and utility of Privacy Certifications with Rachel Ormiston, Head of Privacy at Osano, Eva Novick from Miller Nash, and Sara Matijascic from SurveyMonkey.
DPG concluded the day with a reception dinner in the Legal Research Center. Students attending the reception were recommended to mingle with participants and attendees, including former students of Lewis & Clark Law who founded DPG and hosted the first symposium six years ago.
Sarah Elder, Vice President of DPG, noted, “I really connected with some of the former DPG members. We discussed how much attendance and community participation have increased over the years. I hope we can grow it even further in my time as a member.”
The group is currently working to expand the Data Privacy Symposium with the addition of a fall symposium. “We are in the early stages of planning, but it will be another great opportunity for the Pacific Northwest privacy community to come together, share skills, and make friends,” said Violet McAfee, President of the DPG. With the group hosting two symposiums, Violet McAfee envisions “solidifying DPG’s role as a cornerstone of the privacy community here in Portland.”
